Picente details Utica sports, entertainment district

Samantha Madison

Wednesday

May 17, 2017 at 12:01 AM

UTICA — Following up on his announcement during this year’s State of the County, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. Tuesday unveiled two possible visual concepts for an arts, sports and entertainment district — with a new twist.

One of those plans involves the addition of the Nexus Sports Complex next to Utica Memorial Auditorium, which was announced by Utica Comets President Robert Esche, that would allow for a variety of teams from all over to travel to Utica for tournaments.

“This is based from sports and recreation tournament-based play, so what it really is, is more like the Lake Placid model,” Esche said about the complex. “So, most revenue for the town is based on out-of-towners coming. This is three sheets of ice that can be converted into lacrosse fields and soccer, so you’re really capturing all sports and is truly built around recreation, tournament-based play. This will add roughly 300,000 to 350,000 out-of-towners coming to the area.”

There are two conceptual plans for what Picente is calling The U District, which would be anchored by an expanded Aud, the American Craft Beer Museum and Innovation Center and the Utica Commons Casino.

On both plans, the arts, sports and entertainment district starts at the Aud and goes east on Whitesboro and Oriskany streets toward Genesee Street.

The first conceptual plan features the proposed casino with an overhead walking bridge connecting to the Aud., the beer museum and Farm to Ferment Urban Farm, an interactive playground, and a pond and ice skating rink.

The other plan adds in the Nexus Sports Complex on the east side of the Aud on the site of the former Tartan Textile company and doesn’t include the ice skating rink. Nexus would include three ice rinks, an athletic center and a fitness center.

Carl Annese, chairman of the Upper Mohawk Valley Memorial Auditorium Authority, said funding for the Nexus Sports Complex hasn’t been ironed out, but they hope to get a mix of state, county and private funding to help build the facility because it would meet a need while also benefitting the city.

“It would bring in over 300,000 people a year for tournaments,” he said. “All of those people have to eat, they have to sleep someplace; so if you look at your economic impact, that would be your greatest driver. … The closest place is Lake Placid, and it’s a circuit that those teams go to … and we’re right in the center of it.”

Picente said the county is making moves on pushing the district forward, but instead of waiting for the required approval from the state and the department of the interior on the casino, he is working to get the other parts.

While there is no specific timeframe for completion, Picente did say he hopes to see things take shape in about two years.

The concepts of both plans did not take into account existing businesses and buildings, so those were not included in the designs. He said it doesn’t mean those businesses or structures have been eliminated, though.

Businesses, such as A&P Master Images on Water Street, could be affected by the plans.

Owner Howard Potter said he still was learning more about the project and didn’t have a comment at this time.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri has said previously he is not in favor of the casino in the city. While he was unavailable Tuesday afternoon, Palmieri did release a statement saying he hadn’t had a chance to review Picente’s proposal but that he looks forward to “taking a more in depth assessment of the site plan and will be happy to discuss further at that time.”

Picente cited what he believes would be the benefits of a revitalized downtown district that, in conjunction with Mohawk Valley Health System’s new hospital, will create employment opportunities, add new revenue streams and more public parking, improve community health with green spaces and stimulate property values.

“As we embark upon this, this is about investment, but it’s (also) about people,” he said. “It’s about believing that this community is, can and will grow, be better, have more people, have more investment and be the area that others point to when they talk about success stories and when they talk about areas that have been reborn, rejuvenated, rebuilt, but have maintained the can-do attitude that has been here all those years.”

Follow OD_Madison on Twitter or call her at 315-792-5015.

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